Campus bans guns, tells people to nod at attackers

Robby Soave

In lieu of guns, people who find themselves in dangerous situations at or near the University of Arkansas at Little Rock should defend themselves by glancing and nodding, said a university safety expert.

Earlier this year, the Arkansas legislature approved a concealed carry law, but gave school administrators permission to override the law and ban guns on campuses. Most Arkansas universities, including the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University, opted to prohibit concealed carry, according to The College Fix.

But disarmed faculty and staff members are vulnerable to attack when traveling to and from campus, according to a chain of emails sent between UALR staff members, one of whom was assaulted by three teenagers on his way to class.

“I had not gone very far before I was attacked from behind by two of them and received a number of blows to the back of my head,” wrote the faculty member, a UALR professor of biology, in an e-mail. “Given the proximity to this campus and the fact that a number of our students, faculty and staff walk through this very same area on both a daily and nightly basis I felt it prudent to share this info with you and to advise you to be on your guard while in the vicinity.”

Another faculty remember responded to the email saying that a student had been attacked in the same area.

Sharon Houlette, a detective with the UALR Department of Public Safety, responded to the thread with advice for avoiding being attacked, which included a suggestion to “glance or nod” at possible attackers.

“A glance or a nod will help you show anyone who might think that you are not paying attention, and you are aware of their presence,” she wrote.

She also suggested parking on campus and using the trolley system, and offered to host a crime prevention workshop.

But Nic Horton, editor of The Arkansas Project, had a different suggestion for keeping safe on campus.

“If you must step foot on a college campus, choose one that respects your 2nd Amendment rights,” he wrote.

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